Cycling shaft assembly for internal combustion engines



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CYCLING SHAFT ASSEMBLY FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES Filed NOV. 7. 1960 June 4, 1963 1 w. BEAvl-:N

CYCLING SHAFT ASSEMBLY Foa ENTEENAL coNBusToN ENGINES Filed Nov. fr. 19Go 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent O 3,091,927 CYCLING SHAFT ASSEMBLY FOR INTERNAL COUSTIGN ENG Leslie W. Beaven, 44 E. Washington St., Palatine, Ill. Filed Nov. 7, 1960, Ser. No. 67,676 Claims. (Cl. 60-39.34)

This invention is partly a continuation in part of application Ser. 743,830, tiled June 23, 1958, now Pat. 2,962,861, to cover the cycling shaft assembly of `the engine combination thereof which shaft was then known as the valve driver shaft. It includes improvements thereon and also improves on Ser. 7 03,603, filed Dec. 18, 1957, now Pat. 2,963,705, and on Ser. 645,224, filed Mar. 1=1, 1957, now Pat. 3,003,308, and on Pat. 2,512,909, issued l une 27, 1950. This member now has other functions to perform and has become so important to internal combustion engines of the rotary radial expansion-reaction type as to merit a special status and recognition of its own. It controls :the intake and exhaust gas valving, it conducts and valves the fuel supply to the firing chamber, it takes into a rugged crankcase and on low friction bearings the enormous stresses of the explosions and inertial forces. lt permits timing of the ignition spark incident, separately for each cylinder. In short it cycles the gases, the fuel and the ignition current while carrying the heavy shock and inertial loads and I now call it the cycling shaft assembly. The gas valving portion is shown innermost and is rugged and stiff and operates the air intake and the exhaust valves. The outermost portion is slender and flexible `and operates the ignition cam.

rThe separate ignition timing for each cylinder wipes out timing errors due to differences in the accumulation of manufacturing tolerances of other related parts and it prevents complete motor stall, so common with a timer common to all cylinders.

This mechanism could also be used on static cylinder engines but they rare definitely going to be superseded by rotaries ybecause a stationary exhaust orifice loses half the fuel value out the exhaust pipe. The rotaries can be made to carry the exhaust orifice at gas velocity and attenuate Ithem inthe wake of the orifice in a secondary expansion thereby converting that half to power by reaction. The static exhaust orifice is therefore rudimentary and is bound to become obsolete.

To the attainment of these ends and the accomplishment of other new and useful objects as will appear, the invention consists of the features of novelty, in substantially the construction, combination and yarrangement of the several parts, hereinafter described more fully, and taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, exemplifying this invention, in which:

FlG. l is an end view of such an engine in which the radially disposed cylinders revolve about a crankshaft which is preferably stationary. Rotation is shoum clockwise and the exhaust gases are jetted contra-spinwise and under Ithe right circumstances the two velocities can be made to cancel out. A six cylinder engine is shown. They comprise two les of -three cylinders each.

FIG. 2 is a transverse section taken perpendicular yto the engine axis as indicated in FIG. 3, with parts omitted to favor attention more specifically to the cycling shaft assembly itself. The three file row of cylinders indica-tes four-cycle operation.

FIG. 3 is ya longitudinal section taken as indicated in FIG. l to show the orientation of the various internal par-ts and their relation to the said cycling shaf-t assembly. One of the elements shown, makes it apparent that there are three cylinders in file, which requires four-cycle operation.

FIG. 4 is a view of the outer end of a cylinder, to show the exhaust hood for gathering the gases and jetting them 3,091,927 Patented June 4, 1963 ICC contra-spinwise. rIhis section .excludes the breaker box to show Ithe exhaust valve rotor, the section cutting the shaft.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged `detail of the inward end of said cycling shaft, sectioned longitudinally to show details of the fuel seal to the cycling shaft for four-cycle operation.

FIG. 6 is a tr-ansverse section taken as shown in FIG. 5 to show the pitched slots and the stops, counterbored for four-cycle operation.

FIG. 7 is a transverse section taken as shown in FIG. 5 to show the seal seating surface and the funnel-like charnfer used for ltwo-cycle operation.

Numeral 10 indicates a frame for supporting one kind of such an engine, said frame being preferably arranged to hold the crankshaft 11 from rotating. Cylinders '12 are mounted on -a crankcase 13 and the cylinder-crankcase assembly is journaled -by bearings 13E for rotation on said crankshaft. Skirts 12A on said cylinders project inwardly into the crankcase to form a cofferdam to hold excessive lubrication from fouling the spark plugs. The said crankshaft is hollow on one end to form an air intake passage- Way 11B for the entry of combustion -air into said crank` case. Piston assemblies 14 are reciprocably connected to the crankpin '11A of -the crankshaft and the wristpins 17N of the pistons, by connecting-rods l5, so the pistons can spin on the crankpin while the cylinders spin on :the mains. Since the crankpin 11A is eccentric to the crankshaft 11, rotation of the cylinder-crankcase assembly with the crankshaft held stationary as aforesaid, causes each piston to typically reciprocate with reference to its cylinder l2.

A stationary Worm-plate 16 is fastened to the crankpin but the peripheral worm-track 16A thereon is concentric wi-th the axis of the engine. The cylinders are mounted offset to the rotationally leading side. A cycling shaft assembly 17 is mounted axial with the cylinder and the inward end of its shaft 17A is xed to a toothed worm- .gear 17B which because of the offset mounting of the cylinder, engages the worm-track with its trailing side and clears it on its leading side. Thus the gear teeth -follow the Worm-track and the cycling shaft is slowly rotated in timed relation to the rotation of the engine, .to cycle the gases, the fuel and the spark. This shaft, shown hexagonal, could as Well be square or :triangular in cross section for sealing and driving purposes. It is journaled on its inner end by radial-thrust bearings 17C and 17D, of low `friction type which are held in a bearing cage 13A which is part of the crankcase assembly, said cage having radial stops '13B and 13D by which endwise movement of the outer races of the bearings is prevented. The stops on the cycling shaft 17A are 13C outer'or centripetal which is a nut threaded lto said shaft and 13E, centrifugal on the back side of the gear l17B. 'I'hese lock the inner races to the shaft. The inward end of said shaft is recessed to receive a fuel sealing assembly 26 comprising a stop I26A, spring 26B and sealing shoe 26C. A key 26E is fixed to a fuel pipe -21 on which said fuel Sealing :assembly rides, to prevent said shoe from turning. Said shoe has an off-center hole 26D thru which the fuel escapes into said cycling shaft and the bottom of said recess is designed in two ways, one for two-cycle operation and the other for four-cycle. This will be described shortly.

The outer end of the stiff portion of said cycling shaft 17A is fixed to or may be made integral with the exhaust rotor 17E of the exhaust valve of the cylinder and said rotor pilots in its stator 12B which is fixed to, or may be integral with the cylinder. An intake rotor 17E of the air intake valve whose stator shown 14A, is part of the piston which slides inwardly and ou-twardly on the shaft and at the same time is rotated thereby on radial-thrust low friction bearings 14C and 14D, being pivotally driven by the shaft and keyed thereto by the matched contours of their cross sections, said bearings being ylikewise held by stops ME and 14F. These are held in assembly to the piston by said stops with the nut and locknut liK and 17M which permits the rotor to rotateV in the piston but prevents endwise movement therein. A like situation prevails for the exhaust valve, the holding nut being 17R. By this rotation of the two rotors in their stators, ports are formed and deformed to open and close passages in timed sequence to cause the well known cycles of such engines, intake, compression, work and exhaust. But this remarkable cycling shaft assembly handles still `another chore. The outer end of a slender portion of said shaft has a cam 17G affixed, shown pinned to the shaft by the pin 17U. Its function is to make and break an electric circuit by separating the points to cause the ignition spark with a standard se-t of breaker points which are carried `in the breaker box assembly 18. Spark occurs when the circuit is broken by one of the humps on this cam. The breaker-box is held by screws 18A by which the setting can be varied to time the ignition of each cylinder separately, thereby overcoming the disadvantage of different buildups of tolerances, unavoidable in the manufacture of parts, to the separate cylinders where a single breaker is used for multiple cylinder engines. In these rotary engines, the cylinders approach a iixed position of the ignition function and the timers can be set very accurately with a light in series so that variations due to buildups can be timed out. This equalizes the impulses and their distribution, increases power and makes for smooth running.

Channels 19 `for the fuel can be seen in the crankshaft and exiting therefrom which delivers to la rotating fuel trough 2() ywhich is driven by the crankcase thru arms 20A extended therefrom and bolted .to the inside thereof and from which said fuel escapes via fuel pipe 21 `and seal 26C into the duct l17H in the said cycling shaft from whence it escapes thru the wall of the shaft via the transverse duct 17] when the piston acting as a valving element uncovers said duct near the inward end of the piston stroke. The inward end of the duct 17H is chamfered for two-cycle operation vto form a liare or funnel, wide enough to catch the fuel emerging from the off-center -hole 26D in the said sealing shoer26C as shown in FIG. 6. But when the operation is four-cycle, requiring two revolutions of engine between fuelings, alternate stop and go feed is required, which necessitates valving by alternate pitched radial slots 261I and lands 26G, shown in FIGS. and 6. AV key 26E fixed to the fuel tube 21 feathers in a slot in the piloting hub portion of said shoe to keep -said shoe, now functioning -as a four-cycle fuel valve stator, from being turned by drag forces, by the rotating shaft I17A, now functioning as a four-cycle fuel valve rotor.

The fuel enters the firing chamber by centrifugal' and/ or gravitational force when the piston uncovers the holes V17j' in the valve driver shaft and mixes with the fresh intake air. The piston then compresses the mixture and it is ignited by compression, spark, or other means, not

shown.

Some clearance is required between the valve rotors and their stators because of temperature and friction factors, to prevent seizing. Sealing means similar to piston rings is employed but not shown .because it has nothing to do with this invention. Wear increases this clearance. Considerable wobble is therefore a possibility and there is a chance for trouble without proper accommodation.

This is thereason that the outer end of the cycling shaft is made slender. It passes thru a clearance hole in a threaded cam piece 18B in the base of the breaker-box, and pilots in a bearing 22 supported in the body of said box. The threads on said cam piece are exterior land are employed in another feature of timing not germane. The bearing 22 holds center for the ignition timing cam 17G. But the shaft end 17P must be slender enough to be elastic to accommodate for said wobble. This is best accomplished by boring a clearance hole into the end of the cycling shaft, to permit increasing the length of the slender end so that the liber stress will not be excessive, and screwing this slender end into the bottom of said clearance hole previously closed, in Pat. 2,962,861 by a cleanout plug 88 which is superseded in this instant application by the slender camshaft V171. Thus the shaft can flex in the two clearance holes without throwing `the cam off center, or being broken.

This is the reason that the exhaust rotor is held on the larger end of the shaft by a discernable taper tit and the nut 17K. The exhaust rotor has cooling tins 17S for dissipating excessive heat. The cani llG has an extended hub UT to give support in the body of said bearing 22 and shear bearing from the cam pin 17U.

Two views of the exhaust reaction bonnet 23 are shown. Both 'gas rotors form passages by matching half-ports in the peripheries of the rotors, with half-ports in the interior boundaries of their stators. Thus the intake gases enter the ring chamber 25 via multiple ports formed by `matchings of half-ports 14B of the intake stator 14A, With similar half-ports ldd in the intake rotor y17E and the exhaust gases enter the exhaust bonnet 23', likewise via multiple ports formed by matchings of half ports 112C of the exhaust valve stator 12B with half-ports 1'7Y in the exhaust valve rotor 17E, where they turn and jet out the exhaust orifice 23A to make additional power by reaction. The intake air enters via the hollow crankshaft shown HB in FIG. 2 and flows as indicated by arrows into the firing chamber 25, and out as shown by arrows in FIG. 4.

A cylindrical shroud 24, axial with the engine, encloses the cylinders for safe-ty and to contain coolant air currents created by fan blades and/ or motion, the fan blades not being shown. The tiring chamber is where the fuel and air meet, mix, lare compressed and burned.

It is apparent that this cycling shaft assembly could be made up of separate parts fastened together, or the rotor and shaft, or the gear and shaft, might be one lunit and the slender shaft, cam and end bearing surface, another. The separate fastening means, nuts, taper and pin would then be omitted. But that is a matter of choice, within the scope of the mechanic.

What I claim as new and entitled to protection is:

1. A cycling shaft assembly for an internal combustion engine of the expansion-reaction type, the engine having a cycling shaft, a crankshaft, a crankcase journaled for rotation on said crankshaft, the crankcase carrying at least one outstanding cylinder, a crankpin on said crankshaft, a piston reciprocatable in said cylinder, Aa connecting rod reciprocatively connecting the piston to the crankpin, a rotary inlet valve in said piston, a rotary exhaust valve in said cylinder, the valves being arranged with suitable clearance therebetween their associated parts, the valves comprising the piston and cylinder heads respectively, a firing chamber being formed between the heads, an exhaust orifice on the cylinder, `an exhaust bonnet for jetting the burned gases contra-spinwise for reaction from the orice, the crankshaft having a hollow portion defining an air intake passage establishing communication between the outside atmosphere and the inside of the crankcase through which the intake air for combustion is drawn by the reciprocatory movement of the piston in the cylinder, into the firing chamber, said cycling shaft consisting of a stiff valve driver shaft in the cylinder, means to axially rotate said valve driver shaft in timed relation to the rotation of the cylinder, the intake and exhaust valves being common to the firing chamber and to said valve driver shaft, a fuel source, -a rotating fuel trough, a channel in the crankshaft for delivering the fuel to said trough, a fuel channel in said valve driver shaft, an exit tube ernbodied with said trough and extending to said fuel channel in said valve driver shaft, said channel in said valve driver shaft terminating in said firing chamber for coneying fuel to said firing chamber, said piston acting as a valve element to admit fuel to the firing chamber, means responsive to said axial rotation of said rotary exhaust v-alve -to release the exhaust gases of combustion from the firing chamber, the outer end portion of said stiff valve driver shaft having an axial hole therein and having means on the exterior thereof to receive and secure said exhaust valve thereto, a flexible ignition cam-shaft extending from, and secured at, the base of said hole, to permit said cam-shaft to iiex therein, an ignition breaker box arranged coaxial with said cam-shaft, said box being pivotably adjustable for still-setting the ignition timing, said box being adjustably secured to said cylinder, the said cam-shaft extending through a clearance opening in the base of said box and piloted by a bearing arranged in the body of Said box, said cam-shaft having an ignition timing cam rigidly secured to it for timing the incidence of make and break for ignition in said firing chamber, the outer end of said rigid valve driver shaft being somewhat loosely piloted by said exhaust v-alve rotor.

2. A cycling shaft assembly as claimed in claim l, in which the means to axially rotate said valve driver shaft comprises a worm-plate mounted on said crankpin and having a peripheral worm-track thereon concentric with the axis of the engine and a worm gear mounted on the inner end of said valve driver shaft in engagement with said worm-track.

3. A cycling shaft assembly for an internal combustion engine of the expansion-reaction type, the engine having a cycling shaft, a crankshaft, a crankcase journaled for axial rotation on said crankshaft, a plurality of radially disposed cylinders supported on said crankcase and rotating therewith, a piston in each of said cylinders, means to cause relative reciprocatory movement between each said piston and its cylinder, an air intake valve in each said piston, an exhaust valve in each said cylinder, each of said valves comprising a rotor and a stator, a firing chamber arranged between the paired valves -in each of said cylinders, an air intake passage in said crankshaft, said passage communicating between the outside atmosphere and the inside of said crankcase, another passage thru the piston to the firing chamber subject however to the intake valve, a fuel source, a fuel channel in said crankshaft, said channel connected with said fuel source, means responsive to said axial rotation of said crankcase and cylinder and associated parts to release the exhaust gases of combustion from the firing chamber, the cycling shaft assembly comprising a stiff valve driver shaft in each of said cylinders, means to rotate said valve driver shaft in timed relation to the rotation of its said cylinder, said paired intake and exhaust valves in each cylinder being common to the firing chamber thereof and to each said valve driver shaft thereof, said valve driver shaft being connected to and extended by a slender and somewhat flexible ignition timing cam shaft, said valve shaft having an axial hole in its outer end, said cam shaft extending from and secured to Said valve shaft at the bottom of said hole, there being a clearance provided all around said cam shaft between it and the side walls of said hole so that said slender cam shaft may flex freely, means to rotate each of said valve driver shafts in timed relation to the rotation of its cylinders, a single rotating fuel trough common to a plurality of cylinders, means to deliver fuel from -said fuel channel to said trough, a fuel channel in each of said valve driver shafts, a plurality of exit tubes embodied with said trough, each of said exit tubes extending from said trough to each of said fuel channels in each of said valve driver shafts, each channel of each of said driver shafts terminating in said firing chamber common thereto for conveying fuel thereto, each piston acting as a valve element to admit fuel to its common firing chamber, an ignition breaker box arranged coaxial with each of said valve driver shaft extensions, said box being pivotally adjustable for still setting and adjustably secured to the cylinder associated therewith, the outer end portion of each of said valve driver shaft extensions extending through a clearance opening in the base of said ignition breaker box yassociated therewith and piloted by a bearing arranged in the body of said box, each of said lshaft extensions having a cam rigidly secured thereto for timing the primary incidence of ignition in its common firing chamber, each of said shaft extensions providing a relatively liexible shaft portion arranged beyond the exhaust valve on the rigid portion of said shafts which are loosely piloted by the rotatable exhaust valve therewith, whereby any wobble of the associated exhaust valve therewith will be accommodated by said shaft extension extending within said holes and said clearance openings, thus preventing excessive fiber stresses from occurring in said cam shaft and breakage thereof and without effecting movement of its said cam off its center.

4. A cycling shaft assembly lfor an internal combustion piston engine of the expansion-reaction type with rotating cylinders, the exhaust orifice of said cylinder back-jetting the exhaust gases to add reaction power to the expansion power, said assembly comprising means for valving combustion intake air to a firing chamber in a cylinder, means for apportioning fuel to said firing chamber, means for switching electrical current to primarily time the ignition in said firing chamber, means for maintaining the positioning of said cycling shaft assembly against the inertial and combustial forces generated by the engine, means for protecting said electrical switching means from injury by said forces and means for releasing the expanded burned gases from said ring chamber in a secondary expansion for reaction power, said means for effecting proper functioning of said electrical system and supplying protection therefor consisting of a stiff rugged valve driver shaft, an axial hole in the outer end of said shaft, a slender and flexible ignition timing cam shaft extending from, and secured at the base of said hole and made flexible, in part by providing a relatively small cross sectional moment of inertia and in part by providing adequate depth to said hole, thereby increasing the stressed length of `said cam shaft and thereby reducing the fiber stress in said cam shaft, said hole being made large enough to maintain clearance for said cam shaft when transversely loaded, the aforesaid assembly being coaxial when not so loaded, and bearing support means for said assembly whereby said assembly is journaled for rotation, at each end and intermediate thereof, the latter bearing somewhat loosely supporting an end of said stiff rugged Valve driver shaft.

5. A cycling shaft assembly for an internal combustion engine of the expansion-reaction type, the engine embodying a cycling shaft, a stationary crankshaft, a crankcase journaled for rotation about the main axis of said crankshaft, a radially disposed cylinder, said crankshaft supporting a crankpin eccentrically arranged with respect to the main axis of said shaft, a stationary worm-plate fastened to said crankshaft, said worm-plate having a worm track thereon, said track being `concentric with the axis of the engine, a piston arranged in said cylinder, a pair of wrist pins in said piston, a connecting rod means connected to its inner end with said crankpin and its outer end with said pair of wrist pins, an air intake valve in said piston, said intake valve consisting of a rotor and a stator, the head portion of said piston having an axial bore and said portion accommodating to act as the stator for said intake valve, a rotary exhaust valve likewise consisting of a rotor and a stator, the exhaust valve stator secured in the outer end portion of said cylinder, said rotary valves comprising the piston head and cylinder head respectively, a firing chamber being formed between said heads, an exhaust orifice adjacent the outer end of said cylinder, an exhaust bonnet for jetting the burned gases contra-spinwise from said exhaust orice for reaction, said crankshaft having a hollow end defining an air intake passage into said crankcase, the said cycling shaft including a stiff valve driver shaft axial in said cylinder, a worm gear means mounted on the inward end of said valve driver shaft and assembled in engagement with said Worm-.track to axially rotate said valve driver shaft on the latters axis and in timed relation to the rotation of the cylinder, a fuel source, a rotated fuel trough, a channel in said crankshaft for delivering the fuel to said trough, a longitudinal fuel channel in said valve driver shaft, an exit tube embodied with said trough and extending into said fuel channel in said valve driver shaft and exiting therefrom into said ring chamber, said intake rotor acting as a fuel valve element to regulate fuel to said tiring Chamber during its ysliding movement upon said valve driver shaft, a plurality of half ports in said exhaust valve rotor, a plurality of half ports in said exhaust valve stator, the intake valve likewise, registration of said half ports in said valve rotors with the half ports in said valve stators due to axial rotal tion of said valve rotors due to rotation of said Worm gear, releasing of exhaust gases of combustion into said exhaust bonnet, said exhaust valve rotor being supported and se- 8 cured to the outer end of said valve driver shaft for rotation therewith, said valve driver shaft having a longitudinal recess in said Outer end portion, said outer end portion being fixed to said exhaust rotor, a flexible ignition cam shaft, means at the inward end of said axial recess lconnecting `said exible cam shaft to said rigid valve driver shaft, clearance in said recess around said flexible shaft, the outer end of said cam shaft having a cam aixed thereto, an ignition breaker box secured to said cylinder, breaker means therein, said -box enclosing said breaker means and cam, said rigid shaft, ilexible shaft, cam, breaker box, intake and exhaust valve rotors Ibeing arranged to assemble zzo-axially.

References Cited inthe le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Beaven June 27, 1950 Beaven Dec. 6, 1950 

